


Broken Down Angel

by JadeSelena



Series: Beholden [3]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Angst, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-12 00:50:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20555495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeSelena/pseuds/JadeSelena
Summary: The third and final installment of the Beholden series. Usagi/Haruka ship.  Reading the first two parts is kind of essential to follow most of what happens in this one.  Set in Crystal Tokyo.





	Broken Down Angel

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's taken a while but this is the longest chapter I've ever written. And I'm posting now before constantly rethinking it drives me nuts...
> 
> This final chapter/part is also a song fic (Nazareth's Broken Down Angel), but feel free to skip over the bolded paragraphs if that's not your thing.
> 
> Bold sections are song, italics are flashbacks.
> 
> I own nothing except the idea. Set after the events of Sailor Moon S.

Luna balanced on the back of the queen's throne atop the dais, supervising castle staff put finishing touches on the ballroom and tend to the guests. She almost toppled when Pluto suddenly appeared beside her. "Setsuna! I wasn't sure you would come."

"I can travel through time and space," Setsuna teased as she leaned against the feline's perch. "I couldn't very well claim to be busy…"

_True_. Usagi likely wouldn't have questioned her absence, though; while Pluto was the only one of the outer senshi they ever saw outside of battle, it wasn't with any regularity… Speaking of the others: "Are you alone?"

Setsuna nodded; pretended not to notice the flash of disappointment. "Everything looks beautiful."

Allowing herself an inward sigh, Luna put her focus back on the festivities. "It's a big day. The girls worked hard to plan the perfect surprise party." She waved a paw at Minako, giving last minute instructions to the band, and Makoto, examining the buffet table for anything amiss.

Which could only mean… "The queen is off–planet with just two of her senshi?" Or were Rei and Ami in the back crafting floral arrangements?

The deduction was rife with censure, and Luna almost wished the woman _hadn't_ come if criticism was all she had to offer. "Well, she only _wanted_ two. And she would be _on-_planet but it's the moon's year this year."

Everyone _knew_ it was the moon's year this year, and where exactly on the moon she'd be, besides – that was the problem. "Luna, I really wish you would talk her out of that silly ritual." If for no other reason than to be able to cease having this conversation they were both clearly so tired of…

"Have you ever tried to talk that girl out of anything?" 'Stubborn' should have been her middle name… "She just wants to spend her birthday with her people, Setsuna. At least she agrees to take guards with her now."

Guards she _still_ abandoned at the first opportunity because their presence made the encounters 'impersonal.' "You know how many enemies she has, Luna, who would stand to gain by her fall and that of Crystal Tokyo. Ridiculous as it may seem to us, there are those who would gladly trade eternal life and security for power." They'd seen it firsthand.

"Which is why she sent Chibiusa back to the twentieth century to have a normal childhood," Luna readily agreed. "She's just not as concerned for her own safety. Never has been." That disregard had saved the world on more than one occasion. Thankfully she'd been reborn with the lives of a cat to compensate…

"It is your duty to _make_ her concerned. Billions of lives depend upon her." Successful or not, the _first_ assassination attempt should have been enough to convince the queen not to announce in advance where her visit would take place. "She needs to be more cautious: if your enemies know where you are, it is unwise to be there."

Luna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't you think I've tried?" She wasn't oblivious to the risks; she just knew which fights were worth having. Not only could Usagi take care of herself, but it would be cruel to deny her of it when love of her people was the only thing that seemed to keep her going on some days. Even more so without her daughter around to preoccupy her. "It's the only way she can make sure those who want to see her are able. 'My life is for them, Luna. It's only fair they get to celebrate it with me.'"

Setsuna blinked at the last part. "Is that a direct quote?"

Luna gave a slow nod. "Don't worry – she doesn't know about the other future. She's just…" Makoto had given the signal and the staff was telling everyone to be quiet. "See? Here she is now, safe and sound." It wasn't long before they could hear bickering through the open terrace doors.

"Rei, I don't understand why you want me to put everything in the…"

"Sheesh, Usagi! Can you just not argue with me for once?!"

"But it doesn't make…"

The room's occupants shouted 'Surprise!' as soon as the queen's entourage had entered from the garden. Serenity dropped the flowers and Sailor Moon doll she was holding, and one of the guards quickly added the fallen presents to the collection in his own arms.

"You don't seem surprised I know," Luna observed as she did Usagi begin to boisterously greet her guests.

"I was fairly certain you did." Setsuna had gathered as much through the various timelines and alternate realities. "What I don't know is _how_."

Well, it hadn't been one of Luna's finest moments… "Usagi was horrible at keeping secrets. When she suddenly 'stopped' spending time with Haruka and started lying – badly – about what she _was_ doing, I began to follow her." Kept an eye on them after she'd seen that their friendship had evolved. "I was waiting outside the shrine that day when you came to speak to Haruka."

Setsuna lifted an eyebrow. "You listened in on our conversation?" It was part question, part accusation.

"I was worried there was a new threat," Luna tersely defended. "Your group wasn't very good at sharing information." Besides, the initial shock of finding out they'd stayed together - and then having to carry the secret around all these years - was punishment enough for the transgression.

That reasoning would have been more appropriate _before_ the Silence, and Setsuna doubted the guardian's motives were quite so innocent. Still, she let it go to note, "You never said anything."

Guilt was a powerful silencer. "I never should have let it get to the point where you had to get involved. I should have put a stop to it as soon as I found out."

Setsuna didn't disagree, though she didn't think it would have been as simple a task as the guardian made it out to be. "Why didn't you?"

Aside from thinking it would quickly run its course? "The year before had been really hard on Usagi, because of entrance exams and Mamoru being in college and the Death Busters and Mistress of Silence and almost losing Chibiusa. She'd begun to lose confidence in _everything_." Her relationship. Her leadership. Her worth in general. "I would've done anything in my power to make it better for her."

"Including allow a relationship that was not meant to happen, continue," Setsuna supplied evenly.

Luna nodded, grateful for the lack of judgment. "With Haruka she was more cheerful and self-assured. More like her old self." And not once during that time had Luna been exiled to Minako's… "I just couldn't be the one to take that away from her."

"_Where have you been so late?" Luna inquired as soon as Usagi entered the bedroom._

"_Oh, I uh…" Usagi paused. "I was doing homework with Naru and Umino." Made a show of blowing up her bangs as though exhausted. "High school. Sheesh."_

_Even if Luna hadn't just heard the revving of Haruka's motorcycle taking off, she'd practically seen the wheels turning to come up with an excuse; had barely stifled a laugh at the blatant overacting. Evidently they would have to work on Usagi's skills of deception before she became queen, but for now the girl's lack thereof came in useful… "Well, I'm glad to see you're taking your studies so seriously."_

_Usagi looked appropriately shamed. "I should go check on Chibiusa!"_

_Luna shook her head, equal amounts amusement and exasperation, as the world's savior (and worst liar) disappeared back into the hallway. She would have to do something about that relationship, she knew, but what she hadn't figured out yet…_

"_She's asleep!" Usagi announced when she returned a few minutes later._

"_Well, her bedtime was over two hours ago," Luna offered wryly, not lifting her chin from her crossed paws._

"_Right!" The blush slowly faded from Usagi's cheeks as she changed into her nightgown and let loose her hair. "Goodnight, Luna."_

"_Goodnight, Usagi-chan." Once her charge had settled in and closed her eyes Luna followed suit._

"_Luna?"_

_Popping awake, Luna saw that the clock now read 12:37. "Nani, Usagi-chan?"_

"_Do you remember the Silver Millennium?" Usagi's voice carried no trace of sleep._

"_Somewhat. It's like a movie I watched a long time ago or a dream I had: I remember the setting and the people but nothing in great detail except for major events." When she thought of how it had ended Luna was grateful it was no clearer than that._

"_Do you remember me? Usagi followed up._

"_Of course – you were one of the main characters." For Luna, the main character._

_Usagi shifted onto her side towards the window, her back to Luna. "What was I like?"_

"_Well, you were raised a princess so you were definitely less whimsical," Luna joked._

"_Less immature, you mean," Usagi translated quietly._

_The dejected tone made Luna frown. Curious as to where this was going, she climbed up to lie on the girl's hip. "You were still willful, and idealistic. But you were more calm. More befitting your name."_

_Usagi grimaced in the moonlight. "More like someone Mamo-chan would actually want to marry." It was a statement, not a question._

_All thought of continuing with other differences – like her being less spoiled and more selfless now – fled Luna's mind to make room for confusion. "Why do you say that all of a sudden?" When she was clearly preoccupied with Haruka?_

"_You said it yourself," Usagi answered flatly. "That he probably wouldn't want to marry me as I am."_

"_Usagi-chan…" Luna regretted those words even more, knowing they still weighed on the princess over a year later. "I shouldn't have said that."_

_Usagi shrugged. "Why not? You were right. He's older and more sophisticated and he's surrounded by girls at school who are the same."_

_Obviously Queen Serenity hadn't foreseen that an age difference that was irrelevant back then could be so significant now… Her brow knitting in concern, Luna jumped onto the pillow to peer down at her charge. "You'll be like that, too, Usagi-chan. You just need to give it time."_

"_I tried, Luna," Usagi swore. "But how long do I have to wait? When do I get to stop feeling like some child he only puts up with only because destiny says he has to?"_

"_I'm sure he doesn't feel that way," Luna quickly disputed, her heart clenched in sympathy._

"_Maybe not…" Despite the concession Usagi sounded far from convinced. "But do you really believe that if we weren't Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion – if we were just Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chibi – that he would be dating me?" She swallowed so hard it was audible. "Klutzy cry-baby bottom-of-her-class Odango Atama?"_

_Luna didn't know what to say to that without being disingenuous, but awkward silence was probably not the response the girl had been hoping for, or at the very least needed._

_Usagi's eyes closed, sending tears down her temple to meet the pillow, before she opened them to focus on the crescent moon beyond the window. "I know I'm far from perfect, Luna," she whispered hoarsely. "But is it really wrong to want to be loved for who I am now, and not someone I have to change to become?"_

_Suddenly the conversation made sense, and Luna's own eyes started to burn. "Usagi-chan…"_

Haruka had ended it not long after, shattering Usagi's hope of even that.

**She used to be someone you could depend on**

**To bring a smile and chase your clouds away**

**But the one she leaned upon**

**Let her down, now has moved on**

**And morning brings another empty day**

Whatever the cat was thinking about, it was noticeably upsetting. "Did you ever tell her you knew?"

Luna shook her head, both to dispel the memory and as a response. "I wanted to, afterwards; let her at least share her pain instead of carry it on her own. But I was afraid it would only have embarrassed her and made things worse." Was even more afraid that if Usagi had started going on about how unlovable she was the truth would have escaped unbidden.

Hearing the regret, Setsuna could guess what was left unsaid. "She wouldn't have accepted the real reason, Luna. You know that." She herself knew from experience. "You did the right thing."

"Then why do I hate myself for it?" Even more, watching the subject of their discussion make her way up the steps towards them, cheerful facade in place.

"Because you're torn," Setsuna soothed. "Between your duty to protect the Silver Millennium and your need to take away your loved one's pain." As much as she disapproved of what they'd done – for many reasons – Setsuna didn't care to see them suffer.

Serenity approached the pair with a bright smile. "Setsuna-san, it's good to see you. It's been a while."

"You, too, Your Majesty." Setsuna gave a slight bow. "Happy birthday."

"Arigato," Serenity dipped her chin. "But I've told you before: Usagi or Serenity. Anyone who had to deal with me as a bratty teenager is exempt from the formalities."

"Only if you dispense with the honorifics," Setsuna compromised. "We've been through enough together that they're not necessary." Granted, she was the only one who remembered most of it.

Nodding her agreement, Serenity turned to Luna. "You know you didn't have to do anything special. A dinner would have been fine."

A _dinner_? "It's a big milestone, Usagi-chan. We couldn't let it pass without properly celebrating." There was so little celebrating lately, without Chibiusa around.

Before the queen could argue Setsuna recaptured her attention. "How old are you now?"

"Setsuna!" Serenity put a hand to her chest in feigned shock. "Don't you know it isn't right to ask a lady her age?"

"Where are my manners?" Setsuna played along, then deadpanned, "Regardless, you don't look a day over twenty-two." There were definitely worse ages to spend eternity as.

"She rarely acts like it, either," Luna baited, brow lifted.

Serenity gave a muted smile. "Oh, Luna. You're always teasing."

Not even an ounce of indignation… "Go get freshened up," Luna instructed softly. "I had a dress made special for you."

The mask slipped, and suddenly Serenity looked a very _tired_ twenty-two-year-old. "It's been a long day, Luna. I was going to just stay for a bit and then go to bed."

Luna frowned. "All these people are here for you, Usagi-chan. Your family and old friends. Some from very far away." She'd really hoped she wouldn't have to resort to emotional blackmail.

"You're right," Serenity gave in with a tight nod. "Gomen."

As soon as the birthday girl was out of earshot Luna heaved a deep sigh. "I remember the days when the prospect of a party would have had her literally bouncing." Now she couldn't even muster excitement for one held in her honor.

"She's a queen now," Setsuna reasoned. "She has the fate of two kingdoms and a universe to occupy her."

As she had back then, only without the title. "You know it's not only that, Setsuna. It's as though she's given up and just become who she thinks she's expected to be." At least the 'bratty teenager' had possessed hope and joy and passion.

Setsuna hummed noncommittally. It would do no good to admit that this Neo-Queen Serenity was a pale imitation of the ones that had come before her.

**Now she's only a broken down angel**  
**She's only a bird that's broke her wing**  
** She's only someone, someone who's gone wrong**  
** She's only a child that's lost her way**

After a while Usagi reappeared – looking composed and refreshed in bejeweled fuchsia – and began dutifully greeting those she hadn't gotten to before. Luna broke the uneasy silence with a quiet, "Was she truly happy?"

It was so low Setsuna had barely heard it over the music. "What do you mean?"

"In the original timeline," Luna clarified. "Before you intervened."

Setsuna's lips thinned at the characterization. "That was not the original timeline, Luna. That is why I _had to_ intervene."

Luna waved a dismissive paw. "You know what I mean."

Unfortunately. "What good could possibly come of me answering that question?" Curiosity and cats weren't known to go well together.

More bad than good, probably. But still… "I need to know."

Setsuna gave in with a sigh. "She was, until the consequences of her choice became undeniable and that same happiness became the cause of her misery."

_Setsuna entered the war room as the representatives of the world's greatest leaders finished filing out, only Serenity, Endymion, and the prime minister of the moon remaining._

"_Gather the girls," Serenity told the captain who had entered after her. "We need to debrief and choose a location for tomorrow."_

_The captain didn't move. "Your Highness?"_

_Her attention back on the schematics laid across the table, Serenity gestured at him to go ahead._

"_Uh…" he hesitated, then spoke in a rush. "One of the scouting parties didn't return this morning. I didn't want to interrupt council…"_

_Serenity's head shot up. "Which one?" Almost before the question had finished leaving her lips she seemed to think better of it, her hand going up to forestall him. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."_

_Setsuna knew the uncrowned queen had realized that, regardless which group it was, it would have been led by one of her senshi._

_Endymion made to move to Serenity but she stopped him with a look. "How long?"_

"_They were due to return two hours ago and they're not answering their comms." The captain's tone said that – to him at least – their fate was a foregone conclusion._

"_I just heard," Haruka announced as she entered the room, going directly to her wife. "I'll take my team back out to look for them."_

_Relief appeared on Serenity's wrinkled features for just a second before it was replaced by guilt, then shame, then deliberate nothingness._

_Endymion shook his head. "No, I'll go. You stay with Serenity."_

"_If anyone goes it'll be me," Serenity informed them tightly. "Send up the drones; I want current aerials and thermographs before we decide to put anyone else in danger. The mission is on hold until further notice."_

_The captain nodded and left, the prime minister slipping out with him._

_Serenity swayed and Endymion and Haruka moved to each support a side. Brushing them off she put her palms to the table to steady herself instead._

"_Koneko…"_

"_Can you go get the rest of the girls?" Serenity cut her off, voice dropping on 'rest.' "If they haven't heard yet I want to be the one to tell them."_

_Haruka hesitated, looking worriedly between Serenity and Setsuna, before squeezing her wife's arm and placing a kiss to her temple. "I'll be right back."_

_Serenity turned to her second-in-command. "You should go oversee the drones. I'll join you when I'm done here."_

_Endymion nodded then followed Haruka out of the room._

"_Could it still work?" Serenity asked as soon as the doors had closed behind them._

_Setsuna had guessed it was a ploy to get them alone; was not going to enjoy being right. "Serenity, you know I can't tell you that." Even if they went back to this morning and had all the senshi to enhance her powers it would still be a long shot._

"_It doesn't matter anyway, does it?" Serenity posited softly. "My parents and Luna and Artemis are gone, and they're probably the lucky ones. A third of the planet has either been killed or enslaved and we're ceding more ground to the enemy each day. The moon…"_

"_You need to hold yourself together," Setsuna interrupted, concerned by the tirade. "You know it's not good for your heart."_

"_My heart…" Looking at her aged reflection in the window, Serenity let loose a bitter scoff. "Sickness. Old age. War. Annihilation. Death is all I have to offer my people."_

"_Serenity…"_

_Serenity put up a hand. "Is there really no other way to get the crystal to transform?"_

_Setsuna shook her head. "I've explored all paths. As long as Haruka is in the picture your bond with Endymion is not strong enough for the Silver Crystal's final transformation." Without its power there was no Crystal Tokyo to convince the world to submit to her as sovereign, and without Endymion by her side they would fail to take her warnings seriously. But she knew all that already._

"_What about your last trip?" Serenity pressed. "If we pretend to be together? You said there was a chance they would still follow us."_

_If it had been fruitful Setsuna wouldn't have waited to share the news, and she knew the queen knew that as well. Still, she hated to conclusively take away that last hope. "I was wrong. I'm sorry." No need to tell her she wasn't a good enough actor to pull it off in the long term; she carried enough guilt._

_Serenity's eyes became glossy with unshed tears. "That my mother would unintentionally curse this world in wanting to save it. I really am her daughter after all."_

_As much as Setsuna felt for the woman before her, she had to defend the original queen. "She had no reason to imagine that you and Endymion wouldn't reunite in this life. If she had…"_

"_You can go back and tell her to change it," Serenity suggested forcefully. "To not make the crystal's transformations dependent on our combined powers."_

_Another conversation they'd had multiple times… "It's too far back, Serenity. Too much can be changed – can go wrong – and it would be infinitely harder to fix if it does." Things could end up being much worse._

"_I know. I'm just…" Serenity fell into her seat as though forced down by the weight of the world. "I've been selfish for far too long, Setsuna. I thought if we could find another way we could just go back and none of this would ever have happened." The fingers of her right hand toyed with the rings on her left. "But if it really is impossible then I'm allowing others to suffer for nothing."_

_Putting her hand over the queen's Setsuna tried to lend her comfort. "You should not have to choose between your happiness and your people, Serenity. I can promise you that that was never your mother's intention."_

"_I know." Serenity gave her friend a sad smile. "That's what I get for being whimsical, hmm?"_

_Setsuna was trying to think of a response when the queen stood abruptly and the contact was lost._

"_That's it then," Serenity declared with finality. "If the only way to make this right is to take Haruka out of the picture then that is what we must do."_

_The sudden vehemence surprised Setsuna. "You want me to go back and keep it from happening?" It was a possibility they'd discussed but one the queen had rejected outright._

"_No!" A look of panic had taken over Serenity's features. "No… That's too much. I want you to tell her to end it."_

_Setsuna considered it briefly. "Even if she would, I'm not sure that will be enough. Your feelings for Endymion will already have changed."_

"_It wasn't my feelings for Mamoru that were lacking," the queen shared after a moment. "If I believe she doesn't love me it will be enough."_

"_And if you don't believe it?" There were just too many 'ifs' for Setsuna's comfort._

_Serenity gestured dismissively. "I will. At that time I was…" She trailed off, then forced a smile. "We were married before I stopped expecting her to realize she'd made a mistake."_

_Though it was presented as a joke Setsuna knew it held more than a little truth. "Serenity, wouldn't it be better to…"_

"_I don't want her to blame my mother so you'll leave out the part about the crystal," Serenity spoke over her, beginning to gather up the table's now unnecessary papers. "We'll figure out the rest of the details tomorrow."_

"_You want to wait until tomorrow?" Setsuna would be lying if she said she wasn't afraid the queen would change her mind before then._

_Serenity's hands stilled, and when she looked up from her task the previous determination was nowhere to be found. "Setsuna, I can't…" She swallowed hard before she continued, her voice weak and pleading. "I need one last night with her, okay?"_

_It would mean nothing: afterwards neither would have ever lived it, much less remember it, but Setsuna nodded her pitying acquiescence all the same._

**She used to be someone you could rely on**

**To brighten up your coldest winter day  
But now she bears a cross**

**For a love that she has lost  
And every day's another shade of grey**

Setsuna pulled herself from the memory, one of many she wished she did not carry. "I understand your predicament because I shared it, Luna. I considered disregarding Serenity's directive and going back further, to before they began their relationship, in order to save everyone the heartbreak." She'd discovered in her travels that if the outer senshi challenged Sailor Moon for dominance the princess wouldn't ask them to stay; it would've been quite simple to put the idea in Uranus' head.

"But you didn't," Luna stated the obvious.

"No." Though sometimes Setsuna was tempted to regret it. "As long as Serenity still loved Endymion enough to ensure the revival of the Silver Millennium it wasn't my place to overrule her choice. Not when _her_ predicament was partly my fault."

Luna shifted her attention from the festivities to the senshi of time and space. "What do you mean?"

Avoiding the feline's gaze Setsuna licked suddenly dry lips. "Haven't you ever wondered how things changed so drastically?"

"I just assumed Chibiusa's efforts to keep her parents apart had succeeded." As shortsighted as that would have been of her… It was the only major difference to the timeline that Luna could see.

"If that were the case it would have been undone when she failed to be born." And as a result they would have been trapped in a paradox… "Small Lady's presence did build upon it, but the foundation had already been laid."

Luna's brow furrowed. "Then I don't understand." What else could it have been?

Apparently settling in for story time, the guardian took one of the thrones and Setsuna followed, taking the other. "There was a timeline before the one you know as the second, where Eudial attacked Uranus and Neptune for their talismans but Sailor Moon wasn't there to retrieve them. I had two choices: surrender my talisman to save Uranus and Neptune but risk the Holy Grail falling into the hands of the enemy, or do nothing and hope we could recover the talismans and summon the Holy Grail before the battle against Mistress 9." Without Super Sailor Moon and the Messiah of Peace it was almost certain defeat.

Neither of those sounded like particularly promising options… "What did you do?"

"It doesn't matter." That was another memory Setsuna didn't care to revisit. "So I went back, to when the Death Busters first appeared, simply to observe. To see why the timeline had been altered."

"And?" Usagi had finished making the rounds and was now stationed at the buffet with some friends. At least some things hadn't changed, though Luna hoped she'd avoid the alcohol as her tolerance hadn't gotten any better since her first experience.

"At first everything appeared normal. As it should have been, with the two groups at odds over the pure hearts." It had been hard to witness, actually, without stepping in and revealing the truth about the talismans… "Until that day at the race track, where rather than get off the bus to wait with Usagi for the next one, the girls left her there on her own."

Luna knew exactly which day she meant because Usagi had returned home gushing about the progress she'd felt she'd made with Uranus (and uncharacteristically little whining about having been abandoned). "When the girls arrived back at the shrine they said Mamoru had declared her old enough to find her own way home." She couldn't really blame him, though – she probably would've had the same reaction to the girl missing the bus for some typical Usagi silliness.

At the time Pluto had noticed that the prince seemed to be less enamored of the princess but she never would have guessed that he was responsible for the shift. Of course knowing what she knew now, it was far less shocking. "She _was_ old enough, and she _did_ find her own way. With Haruka." And they'd ended up joining forces to fight the tire daimon. "Something happened between them that day that affected Uranus. Made her begin to question the mission and her methods."

Uranus' team _had_ been less hostile after that, though that wasn't saying much. "How could that possibly be a bad thing?" Bad _enough_ that they hadn't averted the Silence?

"Because she saw it as weakness," Setsuna stated simply. "Haruka suppressed a lot of herself as Uranus; to be able to do the things she thought the mission required of her. She hated that Sailor Moon had been able to get inside her head, because her growing hesitation to sacrifice the holders of pure hearts put the mission – as she understood it – in jeopardy. Especially when the Death Busters targeted a girl who, despite her best efforts, she'd really grown quite fond of." Uranus swore she would've been able to let Usagi die if she'd had to, but Pluto wasn't so certain. "To find out that Sailor Moon _was_ Usagi was like a double betrayal. Haruka became extra cruel to compensate for that weakness, assaulting the girl and stealing her transformation brooch."

Luna remembered that: Usagi's tears as she recounted the story when she'd finally collapsed into bed that night, Grail on the nightstand. "The aquarium. The day they were summoned by Eudial." It was a good thing Usagi was so forgiving because if it had been Luna she wouldn't even have been able to be _friends_ after that…

"Haruka didn't think Usagi would be foolish enough to follow without the ability to transform, even if she _did_ know where they were going." A blatantly flawed assumption that made Setsuna suspect she'd been trying to protect the girl as much as keep her from getting in the way, though it was something her friend had never admitted to.

Clearly Haruka hadn't known Usagi very well at that point… "That was the first time you showed yourself. To tell Usagi where to find them."

Something Pluto would normally never do… "I had no choice – I'd seen how it would end if Sailor Moon didn't possess the Holy Grail." Any new future her actions may have triggered couldn't possibly have been worse than the one she'd left behind. "It didn't happen quite the way it was supposed to but the result was fortunately the same. _Un_fortunately, Usagi's reckless bravery that day only further complicated Haruka's feelings towards her." Appearing like an angel as they lay dying hadn't helped, either.

If that was why Setsuna felt responsible, Luna failed to see it. "She barely seemed _grateful_, much less conflicted. She told Sailor Moon that the outer senshi alone could find the Messiah of Peace and to stay out of their way." The two teams _still_ at odds, with her current companion the reticent go-between.

"Haruka was no more comfortable with those feelings than she had been before, and it was easier for her to keep Sailor Moon at arm's length while she focused on averting the Silence than have to address them." And Usagi had provided the perfect justification by ignoring her repeated warnings about Hotaru. "Secretly she had great faith that Sailor Moon would prevail, though – so much so that Michiru commented on it – but having wrongly deduced that the princess was _not_ the messiah, she just wasn't prepared to risk the world on the strength of that conviction."

Even assuming she was right, "You had told Haruka that Usagi asking them to stay was what changed the future. If she was still being treated poorly why would she ask now but not then?" Haruka's change of heart couldn't have affected her decision if she hadn't seen it.

It was a little more complicated than Setsuna had led Haruka to believe for the sake of brevity, and not on that point alone. "Usagi actually never had the opportunity to ask them. In the original timeline Uranus lacked that faith; she couldn't forgive Sailor Moon for handing over the Holy Grail, even though in the end it had proven to be the right choice, and as soon as Pharaoh 90 was defeated she and Neptune left Tokyo with baby Saturn."

"This time they gave the baby back to her father and stayed when Usagi asked them." Luna understood now why Pluto felt partially responsible. "But even if she asked them to stay, Usagi still loved Mamoru." That much she knew for sure.

Lack of love was not the issue. "Pharaoh 90's defeat may have improved Usagi's confidence in her leadership ability but it did the opposite with regards to her relationship. While fighting the Death Busters had temporarily brought them closer together, with the Silence averted they soon returned to their everyday lives, and when being with her seemed to become a chore again she found comfort in someone who actually enjoyed her company." Pluto had spent many an hour in the future with the other Serenity, going over the progression of her relationship with Haruka in (unsuccessfully) trying to find a way to save both it and her people. "You have to understand: at that time the years between them were like an ocean in terms of maturity and aspirations. A love that was once forbidden and exciting was instead pre-determined and restricting." Obviously more for Endymion than for Usagi.

Luna wasn't surprised; she'd had plenty of time over the years to formulate her own theories. "You said Chibiusa played a part. I assume her being around didn't help their already strained relationship." That had been fairly easy to see.

The child _had_ played a part, though through no fault of her own. "The majority of what time the couple _did_ spend together included Small Lady, doing nothing to dispel Usagi's fear that Endymion preferred their daughter to her. Well-founded or not, it made her feel even further disconnected from him and more open to exploring her resurfaced attraction to Haruka." The one that had merely been repressed when she'd found out the mysterious sandy-haired racer was in fact a girl.

Though Luna had shared Mamoru's frustration with Usagi's jealousy of their daughter, she saw now how it had been mostly due to the girl's fueled insecurities. She realized she really hadn't given her charge enough credit for _still_ trying to be a proper mother despite being mostly a child herself… "What about Haruka? She and Michiru didn't have any problems." That was the one part she hadn't been able to figure out.

Setsuna sighed at the reminder. "Before Uranus 'awoke,' Haruka rejected the mission; she didn't want to have to let innocent people die, much less give up her dreams to do it. To have to be the ruthless one besides – holding a hard line when in reality she shared Michiru's reluctance – wore her down and turned her cold out of necessity." It had taken Setsuna a long time to be willing to listen to her friend's side of the story. Longer still to accept that no one had intended it to happen. "Originally Haruka was drawn to Usagi because she was pure and optimistic and enthusiastic. Nothing like them. And _unlike them_, she refused to compromise her values in the name of being a senshi. If not for her striving to hold them all to the same standard, Haruka felt she would have lost herself to the mission." And to a certain extent she wasn't wrong.

"That sounds like gratitude, not love." In the present, someone had dragged Usagi out onto the floor and the queen seemed to be sporting a genuine smile as the group did a silly dance.

"It was a lot of things – gratitude, affection, and admiration amongst them – that _became_ love once they were no longer on opposing sides. Whether it was because her relationship with Michuru had revolved around the mission, or because Usagi expected nothing less, with the princess Haruka felt more free to be who she wanted to be. More like who she was _before_ Uranus awoke." Setsuna thought it had simply been an illusion but what she thought didn't really matter.

So she loved them both… "Michiru is Haruka's soul mate – why would she choose Usagi?"

"I don't know for certain," Setsuna admitted. "Maybe we aren't limited to one and Uranus and Serenity had never discovered each other as such because they'd never been together _long enough_ to: during the Silver Millennium it wasn't often the outer senshi visited the Moon Kingdom, and in this century, in the original timeline, they were separated not by distance but by _differences_, in leadership style and ideology." Still, they had always been the closest between the two groups. That could easily have been because they were the respective leaders, though… "Or maybe in these incarnations everyone is changed just enough that that's changed too." Neither alternative would bring Michiru any consolation, though, so Setsuna hadn't bothered exploring it further.

"You think Usagi and Haruka are soul mates?" It was a possibility Luna had considered but not one she'd expected to hear from Setsuna of all people.

Confirming that aloud would feel a disloyalty to her friend so Setsuna wouldn't. "I thought it a phase; a perfect storm that would pass just as quickly. But the more it persisted the more I came to accept that they shared a bond beyond being brought together by unintended circumstances." And only then had she been able to forgive Haruka her betrayal of Michiru.

All Luna's questions had been answered, though those answers had produced the need for a new one: "Did they ever find each other? In the original timeline?" She was strangely invested, as if it would justify their being together in this one.

Setsuna shook her head. "Without Haruka to lead her astray Usagi simply waited for Endymion to come around. While they would never recapture what they'd had in their first lives, for the most part they were happy." Though she'd hid it well the queen had always wondered if the king was with her because he wanted to be or because he _had _to be. Setsuna couldn't imagine it wouldn't be the same here as well; wasn't sure if Serenity wanting to be elsewhere herself made it easier to accept or _harder_… "That's why it's so important not to interfere in any way. Even the smallest deviation can cause a domino effect that no one had anticipated. And once the course has been diverted it is very difficult to find the original path again."

**Now she's only a broken down angel**   
** She's only a bird that's broke her wing**   
** She's only someone, someone who's gone wrong**   
** She's only a child that's lost her way**

_Setsuna pulled her friend aside. "Are you certain you want to do this, Haruka? You can still change your mind."_

_Haruka waved a dismissive hand. "I was invited, wasn't I? It would be rude not to."_

"_I believe Ami was responsible for the invitations..." The princess hadn't cared for the planning part, her only requirement that anyone who wanted to attend be able. "Usagi probably doesn't even know."_

"_And she won't know I'm here, either," Haruka countered. "Your condition, remember?"_

_Setsuna cursed the guilt that had allowed her to be talked into it at all. "Then why, Haruka? Why put yourself through this?"_

_Haruka slipped in amongst a group and into the Hikawa Shrine without answering._

_Sighing, Setsuna followed and sat in the last row beside the sandy-haired girl. "Haruka, this is not wise." For so many reasons._

"_Too late now," Haruka shrugged._

_It wasn't long before the sanctuary was filled with the friends and family and fans of Tokyo's most notorious heroes and the wedding was set to begin. Usagi soon emerged wearing a white kimono with blue and red designs, reminiscent of her sailor fuku, her golden hair absent its usual buns._

_Haruka breathed in sharply, then ducked down to avoid the bride's gaze which had turned to the guests._

_Setsuna stifled a laugh. "Are you trying to get caught?"_

"_No," Haruka immediately denied. "I just… she's stunning."_

_Even though it had momentarily taken her mind off the gravity of the situation, Setsuna felt bad for being amused and she took her friend's hand in her own. Her grip grew tighter as Haruka grew more agitated through Rei performing the purification ceremony then food offerings then prayers. She braced herself when the nuptial cups made an appearance, knowing the vows weren't far behind._

"_Kuso!" Reclaiming her hand, Haruka stood. "I can't."_

_Setsuna whispered apologies to the people near her as she excused herself to exit the hall far more gracefully than her friend had thirty seconds before her. She caught up at the tree line where Haruka had paused to wait for her. "Are you okay?" She wouldn't say 'I told you so;' the woman was tormented enough already._

"_Haruka!"_

_They turned to see Usagi jump down the shrine steps, almost tripping on the fabric of her kimono in her haste._

_Haruka cursed again, under her breath, before calling out, "Go back inside, Usagi."_

_With the girl closing the distance Setsuna had to think quickly. "Your wedding drew so many guests that it's stifling inside – we were just coming to get some air."_

_Usagi ignored Setsuna completely in favor of her ex-lover. "Why are you here?"_

"_I was invited," Haruka shrugged, reusing the same excuse._

"_Then why did you leave?" was Usagi's immediate retort._

_Clearly the princess hadn't bought Setsuna's story, and Haruka's flailing around for an answer only further hurt their credibility. Still, the princess seemed reluctant to trust her instincts._

_Usagi reached out to touch Haruka, withdrawing at the last second to bury her fists in her kimono instead. "Tell me not to do it. Tell me not to marry him." Her tone was surprisingly even._

_Haruka shook her head. "I can't do that. You have to marry him."_

"_Why?" Usagi demanded. "I can see you don't want me to." Seeming to lose her confidence she quietly added, "Unless I'm imagining it. Hoping it. Am I?"_

_There was still a chance they could get out of this without undoing everything; all Haruka had to do was say 'yes.'_

"_You're not," Haruka replied hoarsely after a moment's hesitation. "You're not imagining it."_

"_Haruka…" Setsuna groaned._

_Fabric still clenched between her fingers, Usagi moved so close she had to look up to see Haruka's face. "Then why?"_

_Setsuna knew that even if Usagi married Mamoru now the damage was done and the crystal would not transform; that she would have to go back – again – and keep Haruka from the wedding. For everyone's sake. "Because there are terrible consequences if you don't, Usagi."_

_Haruka cast Setsuna a grateful glance._

"_I don't care," Usagi vowed stubbornly._

"_You do care." Cupping her cheek Haruka tried to make her understand. "My love, you're the one who asked me to leave you."_

_Usagi's brow furrowed. "Nani?"_

_Luna had joined them now, and Mamoru and the others had gathered outside to watch the drama unfold._

"_Future you," Haruka explained. "Serenity."_

"_No," Usagi denied with an incredulous shake of the head. "It's not possible. I would never…"_

"_You do, Usagi," Setsuna interjected softly. "To save the Earth and its people."_

_Usagi kept her watery eyes on Haruka, her hand moving to death grip the one on her face. "That can't be right. There must be some other way." Turning to Setsuna, she began to beg. "Setsuna-san, you can find another way. You have to find another way!"_

_Setsuna would be rich if she had a yen for every time the pig-headed, bun-headed queen had pled for the same; would give it all up to be able to give her a different answer. "I'm sorry, Usagi. We've tried. There is none."_

"_It's not right. It's not fair!" Usagi looked beseechingly between Setsuna and Luna. "How can loving each other be bad?!" It came out a choked sob._

_Luna closed her eyes. "Usagi-chan…"_

"_I shouldn't have come," Haruka admitted through her own tears. "I'm sorry, Koneko."_

"_No!" Usagi yelled, trying to hold on as Haruka pulled away. "RUKA!" When her sandy-haired love disappeared into the trees the bride dropped to her knees, sobbing._

_There was a chorus of 'Usagi-chan!' and 'Usagi!' from the senshi as they rushed to their fallen leader._

_Setsuna shared a look of pained regret with Luna before following her friend._

**She used to be a girl of simple pleasure**

**A breath of spring to chase your blues away**

**But since she gave herself**

**Not for love, but only wealth**

**The shine in her eyes has blown away**

The wedding. Crystal Tokyo's Inaugural. A chance meeting on the streets of Paris where Serenity was appearing before world leaders and Haruka was preparing for a race… "Every time they met, Serenity realized the truth and it ended badly." Not necessarily for them, but always for the world.

Luna blinked in surprise. "Are you saying you've gone back more than the once?" It was so strange to think of the things that had happened and yet _hadn't_, Pluto the only one to remember them.

"It was never Haruka's intention, and they did their best to keep it from affecting the future, but the result was always the same." Setsuna had lost count somewhere, unsure if they were on timeline seven or eight. "Finally I had to tell Haruka to just stay away completely unless she was needed for battle." And even then they had to be very careful.

"Didn't Usagi ever figure it out by herself?" Deep down Luna already knew the answer but her companion's shake of the head still felt like a kick in the ribs. "She thinks so little of herself that the possibility never occurred to her."

"That's by design, Luna," Setsuna soothed in response to the pain in the guardian's voice. "I went to great lengths to make sure she had no reason to doubt the story. Arranging for pictures of Haruka and Michiru in the media. Telling her how happy they are whenever I visit."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "You lied to _make_ her feel that way?" She hadn't been privy to those conversations; would have said something if she had. "How could you be so _cruel_?"

It wasn't like Setsuna _enjoyed_ it. Even though she wasn't as close with this Serenity as she had been with the second (or even the _first_), it hurt her to intentionally hurt someone she still remembered as a friend. "It was a necessary evil. If she realized the truth on her own – _without_ outside influence – there would be little I could do to fix it." And then it would all have been for naught, the only option left the one thing Serenity had refused to even consider.

Unable to dispute that, Luna quietly declared, "It's still horrible." Necessity was cold comfort.

Setsuna didn't disagree. "Luna, she knew what it would mean when she made her decision; that this was the only way she would be able to remember their relationship."

Luna wondered if Usagi would make the same decision now, having lived the consequences of it.

Another weighty silence fell as the pair watched the queen dance with her father, and this time it was Setsuna's turn to break it. "How do you know I'm lying?"

"Uh…" Luna tried to come up with a plausible explanation for what she'd let slip in anger… "Lucky guess?"

"I see where Serenity gets her lying skills from," Setsuna offered wryly.

Not wanting to get anyone in trouble, Luna hemmed a bit before revealing, "Haruka came to the coronation."

Setsuna sighed. "I'm not surprised; she's as good at listening as she is at losing." And seemed to have quite the masochistic streak as well… "Wait… I was here for the coronation."

"Not the party," Luna corrected. "In the crowd. At the public ceremony."

_Luna darted across the plaza and through the legs of the many revelers in hot pursuit of the sandy-haired senshi. "Haruka-san!"_

_Haruka stopped and turned back. "Luna. How did you know I was here?"_

"_You're tall and imposing," Luna fibbed, jumping up on a nearby wall. "You stand out amongst the crowd." No need to admit she'd also been watching._

"_I happened to be in the area practicing and decided to stop by." Haruka's gaze went to the stage where the ceremony had just ended. "It's quite surreal, klutzy Odango Atama being crowned sovereign of the planet."_

"_It is her destiny," Luna justified, with just a trace of regret._

_Sadness took over Haruka's features but was quickly replaced by restrained anger. "The people seem to agree."_

_Luna couldn't blame the woman for hating those responsible for breaking them up, or help but take it as a good sign that she still did._

_After a moment the anger was gone, too, leaving Haruka expressionless. "Being pregnant suits her. She looks happy."_

"_She's putting on a brave face," Luna shared, a subtle rejoinder to both statements. "She spent the first four months too sick to eat, complains constantly about discomfort, and is counting down the days until the end." Waiting a beat she deadpanned, "We no longer wonder why Chibusa is an only child."_

_Haruka cracked a smile. "I'm sure she'll be an excellent mother all the same."_

_Doing her best to sound like it was mere curiosity, Luna changed the subject. "And Michiru? Is she not with you?"_

"_No," Haruka shook her head. "She's apprenticing with a famous painter somewhere in the south of Italy."_

_Somewhere? Luna feigned disinterest though she was anything but. "Oh? Are you not together anymore?"_

_Haruka paused, seeming to consider her response. "Not for a while. She wanted to settle down; grew tired of sharing me with my other love."_

_Luna released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "You mean racing, right?"_

"_Of course," Haruka agreed, almost too readily. "What else would I mean?"_

_Guilt for being pleased at someone else's pain made a momentary appearance. "I'm sorry, Haruka-san." It wasn't that Luna didn't want her to be happy; she just wished the same for Usagi, and there appeared to be only one way that would happen._

"_Don't be, neko," Haruka dismissed with a flick of her wrist. "I can't blame her for wanting more out of life than what little I'm able to give her."_

_Luna felt more than heard the regret. "We're having a celebration at the palace. You should come." Usagi was queen and Chibiusa was on the way – what harm could possibly come of it?_

_Haruka looked about to accept, then shook her head. "Thank you for the invitation but I really should be going. I'm preparing for a big race."_

_There were no races coming up – big or small – that Haruka was participating in; Luna kept track because she knew Usagi did. "Haruka-san…"_

"_Good-bye, Luna," Haruka waved over her shoulder._

"_She follows your career, you know," Luna blurted out, panicked. "She has a scrapbook of all the articles written about you and your victories." She shouldn't have shared that; wasn't even supposed to know about it herself._

_Haruka stopped but it was a good thirty seconds before she turned. "You know."_

_It was too late to go back so Luna just gave a somber nod._

_Returning to her previous position Haruka glared at Luna. "Then you know why I can't go to see her, as much as I may want to."_

_Maybe they couldn't be together now, but… "She still loves you, Haruka. And as soon as it's safe…"_

"_It will never be safe," Haruka cut her off harshly. "The world will always need her more than I do."_

_Ignoring the woman's anger Luna offered a soft, "I don't think that's true." If it were Haruka wouldn't be there, this many years later, just for a glimpse of the love she'd been forced to give up._

_Haruka studied Luna for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Fine. But the consequences will always be devastating if she chooses me."_

"_No," Luna immediately argued. "We have eternity now. I have to believe that someday…"_

"_YAMETE!" Haruka's fist slammed down on the wall before she visibly deflated. "Please, Luna. I gave up hope a long time ago, resigned to the fact that I can only ever love her from afar. Don't make this harder than it already is."_

_As Haruka disappeared into the thronging masses Luna cried for them both._

**Now she's only a broken down angel**

**She's only a bird that's broke her wing  
She's only someone, someone who's gone wrong**

**She's only a child that's lost her way**

So that's where the cat had disappeared to… "And she just told you she was no longer with Michiru?"

Luna shrugged, playing down her part. "Someone telling the truth. Strange, I know."

Setsuna ignored the jab; refrained from pointing out that the guardian had apparently known the truth all these years and yet hadn't seen fit to enlighten her charge. She was too busy wondering if maybe Haruka had subconsciously wanted Serenity to find out…

"I invited her back to the palace," Luna announced, somewhat defiantly.

"Luna!" Setsuna admonished. "If Haruka had accepted it could have messed everything up." _Again._

Luna knew that but she wouldn't apologize. "Usagi and Mamoru love each other but it's not the same as it was in the Silver Millennium, or even the first future. It's tainted." She'd hoped it would correct itself once Haruka had left Tokyo but it had soon become apparent that too much had happened for it to ever _be _the same. "She deserves to be happy, Setsuna. They all do."

The queen had excused herself from the dance floor and was getting a drink; though the king was in attendance they had yet to be seen together aside from a perfunctory greeting. This Serenity didn't confide in Setsuna the way the original had, but the disconnect was clear enough to anyone who looked… Eyes still on the room she deduced, "You wanted to make sure Haruka didn't give up on her."

It sounded childish, and selfish, put like that. "I just thought that once the enemy was defeated…" Luna paused. "That _was_ the enemy that we defeated, right?"

Setsuna nodded. It was 'the' enemy that had prompted Serenity to make a decision, but it certainly wasn't the last they would face.

The confirmation was bittersweet, in that Serenity's sacrifice wasn't in vain but that the victory hadn't seemed to change anything… "I guess I thought they would be free to find their way back to each other."

The sadness was palpable, and Setsuna felt it safe to voice the suspicion she'd been nurturing since her arrival: "This party isn't just for Serenity's birthday, is it? You were hoping it would lure Haruka here."

Luna sighed, not so much at being caught as at having _failed_. "I assumed if it was 'safe' you would have brought her."

"Oh, Luna," Setsuna hummed.

"Don't." Luna couldn't take any judgment – or _pity_ – right now. "I have spent decades listening to Usagi cry when she thinks no one can hear her. Seen her give more fake smiles than any one person should ever have to give. Stood by and allowed her to believe that the only love she's worthy of receiving wasn't earned at all but was dictated by destiny."

"Luna…"

"I can't do it anymore," Luna preempted whatever pep talk or lecture was coming next; forged ahead before she lost her nerve. "Either you go back and tell Haruka to say 'no' to staying or I tell Usagi the truth tonight, whatever the consequences. I don't care anymore." She couldn't believe Serenity would have chosen this life for herself had she really known, and even if she _would_, it was Luna's duty to protect her, even from herself.

Understanding the guardian's pain, Setsuna decided to pretend she _hadn't_ just been given an ultimatum… "Luna!" She reached out and gently turned the cat's head. "Hush for a second and look."

Luna's head swiveled from where Haruka could be seen entering the ballroom back to her companion. "For real?" she breathed. "Is it safe?"

Setsuna smiled. "What happened to 'whatever the consequences?'"

Honestly, Luna had really hoped Setsuna would have picked the first option because she wasn't sure she'd have been able to go through with the second… Directing her attention back to Haruka she half wondered, half accused, "You said there was no way for them to be together."

"I said there was no way for them to be together _in the past_," Setsuna corrected. "I started exploring alternate realities again when I realized they weren't going to put it behind them so easily." Luna wasn't the only one tired of watching them suffer. "This isn't quite the way I saw it happening but the timing is similar, and I thought the queen should have something nice for her birthday."

"So you don't actually know if it's safe?" Luna didn't even care if she was being upstaged in the gift department as long as it was for real.

Considering the ultimatum wasn't even five minutes old, the cat's preoccupation with 'safe' only proved Setsuna's belief that she was all bluff and no bite… "Luna, it's a future that hasn't happened yet – even if I knew I couldn't tell you." Of course Pluto knew; she wasn't one to take chances with the future or the world. But whereas what had already happened (or hadn't happened _anymore_, as the case may be) was fair game, talking about what had yet to come was strictly taboo.

"Wait…" Luna turned to Setsuna, eyes narrowed. "You said before that you were alone." Had she put her through all that hell for nothing?

"I _was_ alone, at that moment. I wasn't going to wait in line for a security check." One of the few benefits of her job. "If you'd asked me if I'd _come_ alone…"

"_Setsuna_…" Luna growled.

Setsuna laughed. "It was a _surprise_, Luna. Now do you want to ruin it or are you going to cue the band?" She gestured to where Haruka had reached the other side of the room and was sure to spot the queen at any second.

Luna tilted her head with feigned confusion. "What do you mean?"

Denying the urge to roll her eyes, Setsuna settled for a teasing, "You dressed her in a fancier version of the gown she wore the first time they danced – I feel confident in assuming that the right twitch of your meddling little tail will set a waltz playing."

If Luna had been capable of blushing she would have. "How do you know? You weren't there." Neither was _she,_ but it was all Usagi had talked about for a week.

"I _was_ there," Setsuna reminded her. "Observing."

Right – Pluto from the second timeline. "How do you keep everything straight?"

Setsuna groaned. "Magic. Now stop wasting time or you're going to miss it."

Luna gave the appropriate yowl (they were too far from the band for a tail twitch to be visible) and the music switched over to a waltz just as Haruka approached Usagi from behind.

The shock on the queen's face when she turned was obvious even from where they sat, and she continued to just stare even after Haruka had bowed and held out her arm.

"She doesn't know what to do. It's been forever since she's seen Haruka outside of battle." Luna was starting to worry Usagi was broken when Rei moved forward to nudge her friend. "Strange…"

"Mars is psychic," Setsuna offered as Haruka led Serenity by the hand through the other couples to an open spot at the center, the younger woman moving like she was in a trance. "Perhaps she knows."

"Or maybe she just sees an opportunity to get Mamoru for herself," Luna joked. "That rivalry has spanned the ages."

And all of the worlds Pluto had visited as well… It took a bit of coaxing on Haruka's part to get the pair going, but once they began they quickly found the rhythm and were soon dancing as gracefully and as in sync as they had the first time.

Luna happily watched the display along with many of the room's occupants. The motion must have pulled Usagi of her stupor because Luna could see her lips moving. After some back-and-forth she seemed to get agitated. "Uh-oh. That's her 'I don't believe what you're saying' head shake."

"I told Haruka not to tell her the truth until they were alone," Setsuna sighed. "That girl never listens."

"I don't think she had a choice. Usagi probably demanded an…" All of a sudden Usagi pulled away and slapped Haruka, and it might have been Luna's imagination filling it in but she could swear she heard the sound over the music. "…_explanation_."

**Now she's only a broken down angel**

**She's only a bird that's broke her wing  
She's only someone, someone who's gone wrong**

**She's only a child that's lost her way**

Luna lowered her head in secondhand embarrassment. "She just found out she's been lied to most of her life - it could have been worse." Especially with the power of the crystal at her fingertips.

Gesturing back to the pair Setsuna chastised, "You had to say that…" Haruka had grabbed the queen's arm to keep her from fleeing and guards had immediately descended upon the now-motionless pair. Thankfully after a tense moment of the sandy-haired woman scowling at them, looking ready to fight, Serenity said something and they stood down.

Usagi's chin fell to her chest, Luna thought (hoped) of shame over what she'd just done, and the petite girl's frame began to visibly quiver. "She's crying. I should…"

Setsuna belayed the cat with a loose grip. "Haruka can handle it." And handle it she did, cupping the queen's face to force eye contact, her other hand tenderly wiping away tears as she spoke.

Luna realized what Haruka had been whispering when Usagi's hopeful gaze sought them out. She turned her own hopeful gaze to her companion, still afraid to believe it was real.

"Haruka probably should have started with that part," Setsuna noted wryly. No sooner had she given an encouraging nod than Serenity had launched herself into the other woman's arms.

"Yokatta!" Luna gasped, then laughed through her own tears when Usagi suddenly jerked away, looking around frantically. "I think Haruka just reminded her where they are." The pair started to dance again, and the smile her charge wore, a genuine one that lit up the room, made Luna's heart hurt with joy.

The other senshi found partners and joined them, the dance floor quickly filling. "I've told Haruka," Setsuna began quietly, "and I would suggest you tell our queen, that it would be wise to keep their relationship discreet for now."

Luna blinked, the words like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on her. "Is that a warning?" She couldn't have let Luna enjoy the moment a little while longer?

Setsuna shook her head. "Merely some advice based on my observations. The public will be more accepting if it comes out gradually, giving them time to adjust to the idea."

That was going to be a problem… "Usagi won't agree with keeping it from her people." Not to mention Mamoru would have to go along with it.

"Luna, many of those people would rather have their queen unhappy than have to change their view of what she _should_ be." It wasn't right, but that was the way it was.

"I know. You're right." Out of the corner of her eye Luna saw the king leave the room. "It won't be easy, will it?"

"No," Setsuna allowed softly before turning to the cat with a reassuring smile. "But I'm certain they'll figure it out."

**Author's Note:**

> So this was my compromise on angsty vs happy ending, seeing as I don't do happy lol
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the series :)


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